Copyright thejc
Thousands of Charedim have taken to the streets of Jerusalem today to protest the push to conscript yeshiva students into the IDF. Yeshiva networks have organised the so-called "million man march" to demand an end to the detention of a number of torah scholars who have been arrested for defying draft orders. More than 800 arrests have been made out of an estimated 6,975 Charedim who have dodged the draft. Demonstrators have blocked roads, disrupted traffic and gathered at the entrance of the city for mass prayers. Some reportedly held signs referring to yeshiva detainees as “hostages” and comparing the government's approach to the issue to Stalinism. Elsewhere, Channel 12 reporter Inbar Twizer was pelted with plastic bottles and sticks by protestors, forcing her to seek police protection in scenes described as “disgraceful” by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. Reporter Inbar Twizer feels the crowd as she is pelted with plastic bottles (Channel 12)[Missing Credit] Charedi community leaders oppose the introduction of conscription after the Supreme Court struck down a long-held exemption for religious students from serving in the military last year. The issue has become one of the most divisive in Israeli politics, uniting almost the entire Charedi community against the government. The coalition-backed conscription bill is currently working its way through the Knesset. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein was recently sacked as chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee after failing to secure a compromise with Charedi factions in the coalition, leading to the withdrawal of United Torah Judaism and almost the collapse of the Netanyahu administration. Jerusalem, this morning. IDF soldiers pass ultra-Orthodox men on their way to protest against the conscription law — a protest that forced Jerusalem’s central train station to shut for most of the day. The video was taken by @Yehonchi, who finished today another around of IDF… pic.twitter.com/2Pj6kdkzp4 — Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) October 30, 2025 Edelstein has now been removed from the committee altogether after he broke with the party line and voted for West Bank annexation. Likud has now announced that his seat will be filled by Tally Gotliv, an MK known for her combative style and dramatic public outbursts. Gotliv has previously been rebuked by her own party for sharing conspiracy theories linking the anti-judicial reform protest movement and Hamas. Elsewhere, the Shas party - the other main Charedi faction in the Knesset - has resigned all of its members from ministerial roles over the row. If it withdraws from the coalition altogether, it would plunge the administration into minority government, likely prompting fresh elections.
